Flower essences are, as the name suggests, the essence of flowers infused in water using the power of the sun or moon. Dr. Edward Bach, a physician and homeopath, created the first official flower essences in the 1930s. Dr. Bach believed that disease was the result of imbalance between the body and mind and that the best way to heal is to bring the emotional/mental state into harmony rather than focusing on physical symptoms. He identified 38 flower remedies from different flowers, trees, and plants that correspond to specific emotional imbalances.   

Treat the cause not the effect-Dr. Bach 

Flower essence therapy is much like homeopathy in the belief that like cures like and the more diluted your substance, the more potent it becomes.  

Treatments such as flower essences, homeopathy, and energy healing can be challenging to define and measure but so too is the human mind, emotions, and spirit. As complex beings made up of an intertwining of the physical and the spiritual, sometimes energetic medicine works in place of a physical measure.  

Flowers have vibrational energies that can support us just by bringing our emotional and spiritual bodies into harmony. In a society where we prefer everything to be weighed and measured into individual components - where constituent x treats symptom y - it can seem laughable that placing a bowl of flowers in the sunshine for a few hours could have an impact on our health. Indeed, it has been difficult for science to prove how flower essences work. However, there have been studies that have shown repeatedly that flower essences support physical discomfort, and occasional stress and over-worry in various groups of people in challenging situations.*  

This healing modality has been likened to how a beautiful piece of music or art can have strong, complex effects on your whole being that bring changes to everything from heart rate, and blood pressure, to state of mind. The hormonic imprint of the flower in the water acts with resonance like a guitar string striking a chord in your soul. We cannot explain or define how we are healed by music and yet we leave a concert transformed. Flower essences seem to work in much the same way.  

How to Make a Flower Essence 

Making your own flower essence can make the medicine much more powerful. Dropping in and being intentional about the flowers, the location, and the time you choose to make the essence brings a higher level of connection between you and the flower, plant, or tree. Choose a flower or plant identified by Dr. Bach or the Flower Essence Society to have a vibrational essence that will support specific imbalances, or alternatively choose any flower you are strongly called to. Remember that it is important to choose flowers and plants that are in abundance where you are collecting and not on any threatened or endangered lists. Sustainability is important in all plant harvests.  If in doubt you may make an essence without cutting the flowers. For areas with fewer plants, you may choose a smaller bowl and use fewer flowers.  

Sit with your flowers, plants, or trees of choice and ask permission to make an essence. If you receive a yes you may proceed with your essence.  

Supplies you will need:  

• Glass or crystal bowl 

• Water, distilled, spring, or well water is best. 

• Scissors, leaves, or sticks 

• Strainer 

• 8 oz bottle for mother 

• ½ or 1 oz bottles for dosage bottles. 

• Brandy  

Method:  

• Fill glass or crystal bowl with water 

• Choose your flower, tree, or place from which to create an essence. Make sure it is in a sunny location.  

• Place a bowl of water near your plant, at the base of the tree, or in the middle of the place you want an essence from.  

• For flower essences, use your scissors or nearby leaves to collect the flowers and place them on the surface of the water. Try not to touch the flowers with your hands. 

• Cover the surface of the water with flowers.  

• Leave the flowers to infuse into the water for a few hours, making sure it is both near the plant and in full sun.  

• After the flowers, tree, place, or gem has infused into the water strain out the flowers.  

• This water is the Mother Water.  

• Pour this Mother Water into your 8 oz bottle until half full and fill the other half with brandy. This is your stock bottle for future preparations. Return any excess mother water to the earth.  

• Fill your ½ oz - 1 oz bottle with half fresh (spring or distilled) water, half brandy, and a few drops from your stock bottle. Choose a number of drops that feels right to you or a number with numerological significance. This is your dosage bottle.  

• Dose anyone who needs this medicine with 1-10 drops daily or any number of drops that feels right to you.  

 

In addition to making classic flower essences, you can also make gem essences, tree essences, place essences, and astral essences. The possibilities are endless. The benefit of the original Bach flower essences and those created by the Flower Essence Society is that research has already been conducted on the resonances of those flowers and trees. However, through intuition and repeat experiments you can make essences with other flowers that resonate with you personally. This is especially true when capturing essences of places or moments that feel particularly potent. Memories of special places and times can bring us back to feelings of joy, health, vitality, and independence. An essence from that place or time can only help to potentize those memories, much like a touchstone.  

How to Choose a Flower Essence 

How do you choose which flower essence or essences are right for you?  

Process (sourced from the Flower Essence Repertory): 

• Identify core mental or emotional issues through dialogue with yourself or a client. It is important to be honest and open. 

• Listen, observe, ask questions. 

• Possible questions to ask: what are my core limiting beliefs? What is my life purpose and how does this manifest in my daily life? What is my next step in life? How do I feel about my relationships with others? What lessons am I learning right now? Where am I stuck emotionally? 

• Both Bach flower remedies online and The Flower Essence Society divide and organize their flower essences based on emotional states. These are helpful resources for figuring out what essences might be best for you.  

Five Flower Essences for Common Imbalances  

Below we have detailed the energetic traits and uses of five flower essences for common imbalances. This information comes from the Flower Essence Society, and we added information on one of the most common and popular flower essence formulas from Bach Remedies to show how multiple flower essences can be used together to more specifically pinpoint the exact situation you are looking to treat.  

1. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) 

 Positive traits: luminous and strong auric field, compassionate and inclusive sensitivity, refined and flexible psychic forces.  

Patterns of Imbalance: extreme vulnerability to others and to the environment, easily depleted, overly absorbent of negative influences, psychic toxicity. 
 
Yarrow essence is medicine for the healer. Those who make the best healers are often very open to outside energies and can be prone to absorbing others’ energies and becoming depleted. Yarrow creates a shield to protect these sensitive individuals from outside negativity and heaviness that can wear them out. This remedy should be considered for many formulas today when we are all constantly exposed to others’ thoughts, feelings, and energies personally and through social networks. *  

1. Wild Rose (Rosa canina) 

Positive traits: Will to live, joy in life.  

Patterns of Imbalance: Resignation, lack of hope, giving up on life; lingering immune imbalance.  

This essence is indicated for anyone struggling to connect the soul with the physical realm. Especially if one is feeling that the struggles of life are too much to be bothered with. Supports one in feeling interest in earthly life and regain vitality. People needing this essence may be experiencing long drawn-out immune imbalances and trouble recovering. *  

1. Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris) 

Positive qualities: Ability to tap into health-giving forces for body and soul, lifestyle choices that lead to wellness and wholeness  

Patterns of Imbalance: Inability to take inner responsibility for one’s healing, lacking in spiritual motivation for wellness, overly dependent on external advice for health choices.  

This is a wonderful remedy for anyone looking to restore faith in their own healing power. Many of us believe that medicine and healing is complicated and requires degrees or other special abilities when we all hold the highest responsibility and intuition for our own well-being and healing. Self-Heal supports one in finding this internal spark and belief in one's ability to heal oneself. *  

1. California Pitcher Plant (Darlingtonia californica) 

Positive traits: Earthy vitality, healthy bodily instincts  

Patterns of imbalance: Listless or anemic; disassociated from or fearful of the instinctual aspects of the Self; poor digestion and assimilation.  

For anyone struggling to reconcile their higher self with their instinctive animal nature. This can often lead to struggles to process physical matter in the form of poor digestive function or dehumanizing the experiencing one's sexuality. This boggy carnivorous plant provides support in balancing astral existence with instinctive desire so both physical vitality and spirituality may be served. * 

1. Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) 

Positive traits: Competent manifestation in the world; clearly directed forces of will, intentional and decisive action.   

Patterns of Imbalance: Inability to translate goals and ideals into concrete action or viable activities; procrastination 

Blackberry supports those who struggle to connect their many goals, visions, and desires into concrete manifestation. These people are often consumed with their intentions and dreams but organize their thoughts into specific priorities or to execute goals. Truly a medicine for modern times.*  

1. Rescue Remedy- Bonus formula  

Five flower formula: Meant to provide support in times of high emotional demand.  

Rock Rose: Supports courage and presence of mind during times of alarm and helplessness.   

Impatiens: Supports patience and calm, diplomatic action when dealing with problems.  

Clematis: Encourages interest in daily life and supports focus.  

Star of Bethlehem: Provides support in the face of shocking experiences. Allows one to be strong in body and mind.  

Cherry Plum: Helps one to stay calm and rational amidst chaos. *  

Rescue Remedy is Bach’s most famous remedy and has made flower essences known worldwide. Many people who wouldn’t normally consider flower essence therapy have used and had success with Rescue Remedy for acute stress, over-worry, and overwhelm.  

For a full list of flower essences and their specific indications check out the Flower Essence Society and/or Bach Remedies.  

How to Use Flower Essences 

There are numerous ways to use flower essences. Try putting them in your water bottle daily, add them to tinctures, whip them into your daily skincare, sprinkle a little in your favorite perfume, or in your evening bath. They can be used both internally and externally, anywhere you could use some energetic plant medicine to add a mental, emotional, and/or spiritual healing element.  

Flower essences provide a unique path to harmonize mind, body, and spirit. They act as a link between our wellbeing and the power of nature by supporting us in emotional healing and personal growth. Flower essences gently invite us to reconnect with nature and our inner selves, leading us to subtle and profound shifts in our emotional landscape.   

Modern science is still exploring the full potential of flower essences and yet there is a large body of historical and anecdotal evidence that compels us to listen to their stories. Whether you are seeking to balance stress, overcome fear, or simply deepen your connection to nature and the self, flower essences encourage you to do these things with grace, intention, and self-awareness.  

*FDA warning: This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.